Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Ass sex aside, what if he says he plans to come back soon, and I really start to like him?
I begin thinking about his side business and all those women paying him to dress up his falafels like festive cupcakes.
“Not sure,” he replies. “Could be two weeks. Two months. But I’m considering making Dallas my home base.”
I almost slam on the brakes. “Your home base?”
“Look, Mila, I’m not the type of man to hold back. Not my nature. I go after what I want or I die.”
A bit dramatic, but okay. I let him make his point.
He continues, “I’m never going to find a partner in life if I don’t start somewhere—a commitment to get to know a woman at the very least.”
“I guess that makes sense.” But he’s moving really fast. This isn’t the boundary I expected him to push.
“For me, it does. But only because of you, Mila. You’re the first woman to make me think beyond the moment.” He turns his gaze toward the road ahead. “Your smile made me realize that there’s more to life than my career.”
I’m a little speechless. I swallow hard. “That’s a really nice thing to say. But do you mean it?” Because he seems one hundred and ten percent into his career. Fine with me. We all have our paths to follow in life, but I want to share my life with a man, not give my entire existence to supporting his dream. I have my own journey to figure out, too, and I want a partner who’ll be there for me like I’ll be there for him.
He places his hand on my thigh. “I mean it, Mila. I’m a complicated, immature, selfish man looking for the right woman to stop me from destroying my future.”
“Destroying?” I don’t quite understand.
“If I don’t grow the hell up and learn to love someone else, I’ll end up playing the role of the old curmudgeon. Alone. No one to pass off his empire to, along with his wisdom and superior genes.”
I feel mixed emotions—somewhere between barfing and trying to be the open-minded person I aspire to be. Did I just hear him say he wants a woman so he’ll have kids to pass his genius to?
Would it be illegal to push him from a moving car on the freeway?
But just when I think I never want anything to do with him, he says something that breaks my soul apart. His words are like a key that unlocks my heart. Every questionable thing he’s said dissipates like a wisp of steam, forgotten forever.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I show Carter around my new place, and he’s quiet but observant. I can tell he’s taking it all in.
“I, uh, see the appeal,” he says as we finish up the tour in the kitchen. “But what’s with your furniture?”
I laugh. “Remember? The fire? I mentioned it in Jamaica.”
“Oh, yeah.”
I don’t think he actually remembers, so I say, “All my stuff was destroyed, and I’m still waiting for the renter’s insurance payout.”
“How much do you think you’ll get? You have a lot of rooms to fill,” he adds.
“Who knows? My claim was for twenty thousand because I had a few rare books, some very high-end furniture, and then there were my clothes and electronics.”
“You had twenty thousand dollars of stuff at your place?”
“Why? Does that sound excessive?”
“No. Just surprising. If you had that sort of cash to spend on creature comforts, what took you so long to buy a house? Or why not invest it and get a return on your money?”
I hope he’s not about to ask me to invest in his film, because I’d say no. Awkward. But I believe finances should always be kept separate unless you’re married. Otherwise, things get complicated. It’s not my job to take care of him or him of me financially. Not until we both decide otherwise.
“It’s actually a great question,” I say. “I’m not sure why I waited to think about buying a house. Maybe I was waiting for the right one?” Sort of like a husband. I want the one, not anyone. “All I know is that I never genuinely thought I could afford a house until I found this place. Must be fate.”
“But what if it’s not?” He steps in closer, taking my hand. “What if your fate is traveling? With me? Never having a permanent home?”
I’m mesmerized by his blue eyes. No, wait. I’m not that shallow or easy. I’m mesmerized by the intense way he’s looking at me, and how I’m just now realizing that no guy has ever really looked at me like this before. It’s a strange feeling. I like it, yet I know deep down that I haven’t earned it from him. Not yet. Not that kind of intensity.
Is he playing me?
Stop. Stop. Stop. Just let the night happen, Mila. “Whatever comes, Carter, I’ll be ready.”